


The Five Unmistakable ...

by Wordwitch



Series: The Hunting Of The Snark [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Curses, Gen, Librarians, Libraries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:17:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22136821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wordwitch/pseuds/Wordwitch
Summary: All action is based on information, even if the only information available is that gathered subconsciously by the body itself.Surely thinking people can do better than that ...
Relationships: Fay Dunbar & Seamus Finnegan, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger & Neville Longbottom
Series: The Hunting Of The Snark [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1131947
Comments: 70
Kudos: 55





	1. Capio omnia documenta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Collect all documents.

"Irma Pince for Callimachus Kefalas," said the green head in the fireplace, and the page on duty acknowledged and dashed for the Head of Collection Management.

"Irma my dove!" the immense man greeted her, settling himself on a cushion. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We have a big problem here. I need help in the Library here in Hogwarts, and I've just been asked for help with the records at the British Ministry for Magic. We have been interfered with, magically, here at school and not only in the Library; and I don't think the Archives were ever properly set up at the Ministry."

Her Journey Master narrowed his beautiful dark eyes at her.

"Is this an official request? On either front?"

"As the Librarian of Hogwarts, I request officially that the Library of Alexandria assist me with regaining control of the Library of Hogwarts.

"As an agent of a Member of the Wizengamot, and speaking through her authority for the Wizengamot of the Brythonic and Celtic Islands, I request that the Archives of the Wizengamot and its associated Ministry be created."

"Have you warned the member of the Wizengamot about the process?" Callimachus inquired, beginning to smile a most unpleasant smile. 

"Oh yes," Irma replied with the same smile, "she is quite looking forward to it."

"Please pass through the documentation." He leaned forward to receive the leather satchel, his thick black hair swinging over his broad forehead. He paged through the leaves of parchment, nodding. 

"I shall send you Arsinoë's team tomorrow morning, but Strabo can have his team at the Ministry by ... by noon your time, I believe." He looked at her expression and shook his head reprovingly. "My dove, you really should not be there. Let Strabo do his work without trying also to show off to you." He laughed at her disappointed face, and shook his head. "No, you shall not get caught up in that. It will be confusing enough without having a false-librarian trace show up."

"Ah rats," she acquiesced gloomily. "I never get to watch the fun stuff," and she broke the connection. 

* * *

The _crack_ of apparation sounded in each separate department of the Ministry of Magic at the same time, and five separate voices intoned a _sonorus_-enhanced statement in unison, first in Ancient Sumerian, then in Greek, then Brythonic, Latin, and finally English: 

"All your scrolls are ours."

The five witches and wizards posed in the simian-body rune sequence for the collection of recorded information as they spoke, their individual foci of power shimmering almost unbearably bright in the various mundane and eldritch rooms of the Ministry, stunning the people in their presence - even the Aurors, even the Hit-wizards, let alone the Security Wizard in the Atrium or the Unspeakables in their gloomy maze.

The ten time-turned iterations of the team halted in the three-dimensional Ideogram of Nanna and called out the Syllable of the Archive of Ur, sparking the complete duplication of every record within the Ministry, whether written, painted, recorded as a memory in vial or in Prophecy Globe, or in any other manner. The originals flowed in glittering streams of ionized magic particles to where the single iteration of Strabo Mithradames waited at the center of the Ideogram, compacting in front of him into a twelve-foot cylinder etched all over with Cuneiform. As it compacted, a bubble expanded from its center to the exterior of the Ministry on all sides, embossing the two-dimensional Ideogram of Ur on all outer surfaces, ensuring that all new information entering the Ministry would be duplicated and collected going forward. 

Another crack of apparition removed the entire team from the view of the populace of the Ministry, as the last iteration transferred itself to the center of the room in which the Wizengamot currently resided while the earlier iterations moved to their next point of collection. 

"I am Strabo Mithradames, Senior Combat Archivist of the Library of Alexandria, and I and my team have completed creating the Archives of the Wizengamot of the Brythonic and Celtic Islands and its Ministry of Magic. We are ready to install it in the space designated for it, and to begin training the first set of Archivists and their assistants."

He stood there, left hand empty and extended, right hand gripping the copper staff that served as his focus, arms spread aggressively, the lights in the chamber glinting off of his golden shaven head and bare chest and his pleated linen kilt, the eyes of the leopard whose skin he wore over his shoulder glinting malevolently at the stunned English humans surrounding him.

Thank the Divine Isis for Satiya's warming charms!

* * *


	2. Bibliotheca organismus adcrescens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A library is a growing organism.

Minerva patted her hand and nodded at her a fair ways into the dinner hour, so Irma stood and set off her preferred Attention sound: a mellow deep tubular bell that tapered off into a _silencio_. She waited for the silence, gathered her courage, and spoke to the ravening hordes.

"Due to unexpected but necessary maintenance, the Library will be closed as of curfew tonight and for the next four days. All books will be returned to the Library as of midnight, so you may wish to create a list for yourself of books to re-acquire as of Saturday. 

"I have requested that your Professors not call due any assignments needing access to the Library before Monday, and they have agreed. You may continue to use your Study Carrels during this time; Carrel books will also be returned at curfew tonight, but will revert to the Carrels Saturday morning at 5am.

"Thank you for your patience during this difficult time."

Irma sat down, releasing the _silencio_ and straightening her robes. Shrieks immediately rose from the Ravenclaw table, but she noticed that her young Gryffindors had their heads together. 

They ... were missing some.

"Minerva," she murmured in her colleague's ear. "Are Mr Potter and his friends well? Only I do not see them."

"Mr Potter and Mr Longbottom were summoned to the Wizengamot together with several other Heirs, and have taken moral support with them," Minerva muttered back. "It may be just as well, considering."

"They are good children, excellent Library patrons! They would not be clamoring for access while it is impossible!"

"No," Minerva said slowly and judiciously, her eyes fixed momentarily on the Weasley twins, "I believe they will be less frustrated by not being here. You, on the other hand, will need your best Imperceptible and Impervious charms. Flee, woman! I will hold off the Ravens!" 

And indeed there seemed to be a fairly large group approaching, and from all the Houses. Irma, Minerva, and Pomona all rose at the same time, and Irma disillusioned herself as she passed behind her colleagues and strode to the Professors' door behind the Head table. 

Behind her, voices rose.

* * *

The line to use the Catalogue Room wrapped around the Main Reading Room from moments after Irma arrived to curfew, and she dashed the hopes and assumptions of many scholars when she invoked the Close of Access protocols, pushing all living beings other than herself out from the depths of the Library through the front doors. 

Carrel users, of course, were merely pushed into their Common Rooms, bypassing all of the furious Prefects waiting in the halls to nab their library-using peers who had had hours of access. 

Irma pulled the blinds down over the windows of the front doors, chortling internally at the Weasley twins clowning, their cheeks and noses pressed against the glass in mockery of their fellow students. 

They had a Carrel. They had no need other than japery to go through the front doors. 

She set her hand on the divide of the doors.

_Colloselecti_.

Her hand was pushed back about four inches from the door by a sparkling clear barrier that raced to either side and up and down, sealing the walls and floors and ceiling, all the windows and fireplaces, leaving alone the internal doors and stairs but eliminating all ingress and egress to any being or human except the sworn Librarian and her agents.

When Arsinoë and her team arrived in the morning, they would have access. 

She herself would remain.

She patted a pocket - yes, breakfast and snacks still present. 

Irma wandered into the Catalogue Room. Better to get started on the Inventory. She tapped the Catalogue with her wand.

_Pernumero volumeni vacui_.

The very first drawer flicked open gently, its slips of parchment rising, flipping past, then sinking, the drawer closing as the next one opened. 

She let out a breath. None of the very oldest works missing, then. She left the Room to do its work, and went to her desk, placing her hand on the shelf behind it.

_Revoco volumeni extrarii_.

Well, that was distressing. From around the distant corners of the Reading Room came the squeak of carts and the _kthump_ of books landing on them. That sounded like a fair number of books to look through. Sorting charms would help. But she had just cleared the Library in July! How did so many outside books get into the shelves so quickly? 

Well. That was what Forensics were for, she supposed. 

Irma spent a quiet hour or so shelving the foreign books behind her desk, bound them in place for Arsinoë's team, and checked the time.

Still a good hour and more until midnight. Time enough for the next stage.

_Dedo volumeni encantatori alieni._

After a stunned moment, Irma folded her arms. This was beyond bad, this was annoying. As the carts rattled their way to each individual shelf, and books piled themselves by what sounded already like the dozens, she strode to her desk and inked a pointed note. 

Forget food and liquid damage, she needed to add runes to protect the poor books from spells!


	3. Insipidum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First is the taste,   
Which is meagre and hollow, but crisp:  
Like a coat that is rather too tight in the waist,   
With a flavour of Will-o'-the-wisp

The Heirs nearly all agreed that Percy Weasley should be the Archivist, once they understood the requirements, and urged the adults to hire him and let him pick his own staff.

"My brother," stated Ron (once Gran had temporarily removed the _Quietus_) "learns all the rules by heart. He is passionate about the rules. He only really likes people who also like the rules and he will enforce them without a single hesitation. 

"This is not a good thing for people - sorry, Percy, but it's not," he said to the air as the exhausted people around him dissolved into snickers, "but it is exactly what we need for the information. We need it not to get lost again. We need to not let people hide things but we also need to not let people know private things. If he once understands the difference, you can count on Percy to be a right Keeper about it."

Neville stood up. Ron was right, but he had forgotten something important. Too bad; the foreign gentleman was looking excited.

"I think we should probably hire a few grownups first, though, since he won't graduate for another three years."

Beneath the groans of everyone who had forgotten this tiny detail, the foreign gentleman smiled at Neville and winked at Ron.

"This is actually quite good," he said, his _Sonorus_ rolling clearly over the babble. "We can gather the different people and train them from the beginning, knowing what they will be doing and who with. The Archivists shall set this up for you and run it as we train your people. You will be able to use the information today and..."

"Excuse me," Madame Marchbanks rose. "But before we proceed, I did not hear: how are we paying you for this service?"

"We are the Library of Alexandria. We take only one kind of payment. We shall take a copy of this Archive back with us. It will be secured via the International Rules: except for International Law Enforcement and the dedicated Archivist, no one shall have access to any records that are less than one hundred years old. No one shall have access to non-record material who does not have the certification of training to the mastery level in that type of material. In this way, scholarship endures and there shall always be a record in spite of local catastrophe."

Madame Marchbanks nodded and asked, "This is agreeable to me. Is it agreeable to the rest of you?"

There was a rather dazed set of _Ayes_ around the room. Hermione whispered, "it looks like they can't figure out anything wrong with it."

"Can you?" Neville asked, but she shook her head.

Gran blinked, blinked again, and rose.

"I propose the cloak room in the Witness Chamber."

"Seconded," said Mr Malfoy, and underneath all the Ayes he sent one of the Wizengamot Aurors to take them there.

* * *

It was then only another three hours to find all the related laws to any one issue - some of which made them all turn green - and do the purge-and-replace Gran had been talking about. Another two hours to search the employment and NEWT records and decide on a fairly raw hire/fire/retain/jail on charges for trial set of lists.

Lord Ogden sent three Aurors out to inquire about the cursèd status of the Pink Woman, who was apparently responsible for a whole cart-load of the Creature laws they were burning. (In an ornate ritual brass bowl in the middle of the floor, which would evidently prevent them from getting passed again. Harry looked completely croggled by the idea, but Hermione was dancing in her chair beside him hissing "go Magic! go Magic!")

Apparently she was under an Obliviate, courtesy of her own father, about the fact that she was a half-blood.

Since that was all, and since her signature was on the curses on a whole bunch of people, adults and kids alike, they retained her for trial and stuck a Never Hire Or Appoint on her name.

Mr Mithradames showed them the charm to make it show up on any document ever present within the Ministry. It had to have the reason and the names of the people who set it embedded in it, but that was good anyway. Neville was definitely in favor.

It was about this time that the Goblins finally came back in.

Kickpillar looked around at them with a calculating eye.

"We are done, and I have a report for you, but I have some advice first. Everyone have dinner and go to sleep. We can talk in the morning."

Since this was the most rational thing anyone had heard within the last hour, they all agreed.

Hermione described footed pajamas to the elf that was trying to get them settled, and the four Lions all piled in together.

After fifteen minutes, Gran threw back the curtains on their four-poster, renewed the Quietus on Ron, and slung them closed again. Harry laughed, Neville snickered, and Hermione fell straight to sleep. 


	4. Ne impediant legitur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do not impede the reader.

Arsinoë and her team arrived via [L-Space](https://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/L-space) at seven in the morning bearing Turkish coffee and Egyptian pastries and hugs and the kind of vicious political gossip only Librarians can manage in the comforting Persian language all Alexandrian-trained Librarians were fluent in.

Irma contributed quail eggs boiled in mint syrup and green Chinese tea and tiny venison sausages and a tale of woe that had them all humming and tutting in compassion and outrage.

"At this point I don't even know where to start!" she concluded in complete exasperation.

"Let's not be fussy," Arsinoë said contemplatively. "Let's start everywhere at once. You begin with Inventory. Sort out what has gone missing by when it went.

"Lekan, do a tiered Recall. Begin with unclaimed material in the school, go on to students, then staff, then alumni and retired staff, then families of both. Make sure you keep the dates and locations recorded. You can coordinate with Irma at that point, and then do a Prejudicial Recall on the rest." Only his top teeth gleamed against his blue-black smile, but Irma was forcibly reminded of Goblins.

"Nuria, you have the extra-cursed material. Who, when, why when possible, and of course an analysis of the curses themselves.

"Hye, do the Usage analysis on the Accessible material. Omid, you do the Scholar's collection, and Agata, you have the Restricted and Forbidden works. Don't forget to include the European political groups for each time period.

"Itzel, you have the physical plant. From the beginning, location within the castle, usage patterns, attacks, developments, you know the drill.

"I'll do Rules, and coordination. We break at 2, and again at 8. Sand's blowing, people!" In a clatter of laughter and agreement, everyone cleaned their hands and faces and departed for an appropriate location to do their work.

"Help me set up the oasis, dove, and tell me the rest."

* * *

"I feel as though I have withered away without noticing, 'Sinay," Irma said, backing away as the two unfolded the densely embroidered oval of sea-silk. "I didn't even notice when I stopped giving Library tours and when I started hushing people. I actually allowed originals to be checked out and denied to other patrons! It's been decades since I did a Usage Study, let alone a review of the Restricted Section, and! There is a fake Restricted Section set off by ropes! I just accepted it!"

"Have you been to get the Goblin Protocols run on you yet? They formed a large part of the documentation you sent," Arsinoë muttered indistinctly as she set the Sticking Charm on the silk and the two women checked for any wrinkles. 

"I can't leave students in charge of the Library, and we are open every day from September 2nd to June 12th."

Arsinoë stood up abruptly and stared at her. "No days off at all? No wonder you are withering! And I know I haven't seen you at any conferences since ... I suppose since Master Dankworth retired. And you don't write."

Irma frowned. "I don't? Letters, articles, nothing...?"

"Oh that is the utter limit. Bɑlɑ!" The oasis emerged from the sea-silk, the environmental ward shimmering pearlescently, the tiny pool burbling at one end among trees and fruit bushes, the rest all grassy with sections set off by flowering shrubs. Arsinoë stuck her head through the ward, inhaled in squinch-eyed bliss, and then conjured a wisp of wind.

"I am taking Irma for a check-up. We hope to be back by 2."

She turned back to her student, saying "Fetch your things, we're off to Gringotts," and patted her own pockets.

In moments, the two were off through L-Space to the Bank.


	5. Sloth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its habit of getting up late you'll agree  
That it carries too far, when I say  
That it frequently breakfasts at five-o'clock tea,  
And dines on the following day.

!rribrr looked carefully at Nnebell's face from his spot on the child's chest. Its eyes were closed and mouth open, and a soft sound came from it. He looked back at the Elder Witch who had lifted him into the sleeping hollow with all the fledglings. 

She sounded encouragingly at him.

Completely overwhelmed with delight, he blew up his throat a few times in preparation, and then sounded _Awaken_ as loudly as possible. 

Children erupted all over the hollow, but he had already leapt to the Witch for safety, and croaked _glee_ at the lot of them. 

She sounded in gratitude at him, and carried him back to his own spot, and he clambered onto his pond for first-food, snacking on a minnow as he watched a House-Elf change the young ones' outer skins for them.

A bit of fuss and babble, and Nehhbell held out its hand for him, sounding at length as he climbed up and onto its shoulder-strut.

!rribrr could feel the Sun high in the sky, outside this cavern where they had resided for several days now, diurnal rhythms completely ignored as the Wixen Conclave did its work. But all of them had gone to sleep last night at the direction of the Goblin, and all of them were waking now. 

House-Elves set up feeding trunks and Wixen food.

The oldest Wizard went to the Goblin and sounded at him in formal stanzas.

After a long silent moment, the Goblin followed him to the trunk, and the House-Elves brought Goblin food as well. 

Significant looks were sent around the table, and the air was filled with distress, and anger, and fear changing to capitulation, with a few threads of hope.

The children all smelled of triumph and hope, and sounded greetings toward the Goblin. So did their guardian Witch. 

!rribrr jumped into his pond, soaked for a moment among the scattering minnows, and resumed his favorite seat.

* * *

"There were layers of runic arrays speaking temporally," Kickpillar stated, looking around at the lot of them. He had paused for a long time when Lord Ogden had invited him to share breakfast, and he and every single adult there had been overwhelmed with a kind of revulsion that Hermione was going to have to discuss in depth with her Sense-i and her parents. Hermione was utterly certain that none of the Wixen would even understand her first question on the issue. She focused back on the report. 

"The written report has the details. But there were arrays that were contemporary with the mmm... _emergence_ of the Death Chamber in the Department of Mysteries, and arrays contemporary with the construction of the building, and arrays contemporary with the creation of each of the Departments. We were able to identify which were a part of each of those efforts, and which were designed to affect the specific areas or functions in a manner that supported those areas or functions. 

"Those arrays have been documented and marked and left in place.

"Then there were the later official arrays. We were able to cross-reference each of them with the stated justification and evaluate them for the actual impact. Those that failed in their stated impact and had no other effect were removed. Those that failed in their stated impact and had a different and unanticipated impact were dismantled. Those that were designed to have a different impact from the stated goal were also dismantled and were documented separately. 

"Once those were dealt with, we turned to the unofficial arrays. Again, these are documented in the report. 

"They fall into four overlapping groups: two were designed to be beneficial, and two were designed to be detrimental. 

"Two were created to work together with existing arrays, and two did not take existing arrays into effect."

Kickpillar looked around at them, deep disgust on his face. 

"The records indicate that wards to prevent the inscription of runes in the building without the formal command of the Wizengamot were voted down as being unnecessary and too expensive."

Madame Marchbanks stood, and Kickpillar nodded at her. 

"What year was that, please?"

Kickpillar looked blandly at her. "1552."

Shortly after the Wizengamot took over from the Wizard's Council. Lovely. 

"My team spent some time attempting to discover how it was that every 29th person to enter the building did not, in fact, sprout butterfly wings on either side of the nostrils. We found that a hasty unofficial array inscribed within the Witches' Lounge to deal with the removal of infant waste interfered with this particular unanticipated effect."

Kickpillar stopped and surveyed them again. 

A tall stout older Witch who had discarded her hat stood at that point. 

"Let the first order of business for the next Wizengamot be the establishment of a permanent committee on the wards of the Ministry."

One of the stenographers waved a hand in compliance, and the unnamed Witch sat back down. 

"At this time let me summarize the remainder of the report by stating that multiple inimical and well-meaning individuals of wildly differing goals have been impacting this building and its occupants since its construction.

"All of the unofficial runic arrays have been removed, and a line added to the wardstone to prevent future attempts. 

"The Goblin Nation now understands completely Wizarding Britain's erratic behavior over the centuries. In light of this, my team has been instructed to offer a consultant for your incipient Wards Committee. We will send a negotiator to settle the details. 

"This concludes the Goblin Cursebreaking Report on the Cleansing of the Building Housing the Ministry of Magic."

Kickpillar handed the report to Madame Marchbanks, who set it rather gingerly on her podium. It began multiplying, copies flying in all directions. Hermione noted that the copy that was flying toward the Witness Room (and the Archives within it) dissolved into blue sparkles and flowed through the door. 

Neville's Gran caught her copy and stashed it in a portfolio she returned to her handbag. Then she rose to her own feet. 

"You have my personal gratitude for this work. In addition to the proper and appropriate remuneration due for the completion of this work, please record that Augusta Longbottom, Dowager Regent of Longbottom, owes a personal favor to Kickpillar of the Goblin Nation."

There was another rather stunned silence; Hermione thought that this was rather a day for it. The Goblin bowed to Gran.

"So it is recorded. 

"Our business is concluded, and my team and I now leave the Ministry of Magic, and bid the Wizengamot good day."

* * *


	6. Præservo omnia documenta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preserve all the documents.

Hye sat behind Irma on the enchanted sand of the oasis, carefully brushing out her hair, occasionally accepting a tasty sweet or savory morsel from Omid as the team gossiped about their work so far.

Lekan brought out another tray of goodies from his slim and shimmering tent, a tall urn of sharbat floating behind him, fending Nuria off with an elbow as she stretched and hopped to snag some kelewele before he could set his burden down. "And what have you brought?" he snarled at her, flicking slim grass ropes at her wrists to keep her away, gently placing a bofrot in Irma's hand. She signed thanks at him as she took a huge bite of the globular donut.

The Catalan beauty sniffed, pointed at a tiny inlaid table full of tapas, and swiped a handful of the fried plantains as he was distracted. 

Irma snickered.

The humid heat of the travel-oasis sank into her bones, relaxing muscles she had forgotten she had. Her mind felt as clear as the pool at the far end, and she felt ... _safe_, as she had not truly felt since she had returned to Hogwarts in the early '70s.

All this time she had thought that was because of the blood war, when it was truly due to the frayed and damaged wards on her Library.

"The Inventory is nearly done," she told them, glancing at the Catalogue Room door. "I should be able to coordinate with you this afternoon, Lekan, if you will be ready by then."

"Oh yes," he purred. "I have been Recalling the volumes to a dedicated space I found on the Restricted Floor, and when she is not _stealing my food_" - a faint sound of offended protest came from Nuria, who would not be so crass as to open her mouth while chewing - "Nuria has been evaluating their magical status. All of them should have been Recalled at the normal times."

He tossed the conversational ball to the Technical Services witch, who swallowed, cast a hasty mouth-cleaning spell, and leaned forward. 

"Some clever child figured out how to confuse the Accession rune, where by _clever child_ I mean Promethius Wildsmith and by _confuse_ I mean etch in a pair of lines to de-access a volume. And he evidently taught a few of his best friends how to do it, and they taught a few of their worthy offspring. Et cetera, and so forth, since about 1273, and you have been bleeding books ever since. Just a few, I am sure they all comforted themselves."

She sat back, ebony curls bouncing around her shoulders, a snarl on her features that matched the one on the face of the Circulation Wizard.

"Once the Inventory agrees that all of them have been returned, I shall remove the extra lines from the rune, and conduct a Binding that should prevent the situation going forward." She nodded in punctuation, and Lekan threw a helpless smile at his Partner In Collection Control.

Agata added "A few more of those come from the Forbidden Collection than I feel quite comfortable with. When we are happy with Inventory and the Usage Study, I think we should discuss adding some of the more recent Purposing Geas to the Forbidden Collection at least."

Itzel nodded. "I have tracked some of the misplaced volumes to times of attack on the Castle proper, from before they were held under Alexandrian protocols. Brian Gagwilde and Heliotrope Wilkins, especially, stashed away volumes as a protective measure and they were never returned to the Collection. I believe Lekan has found those," and the Physical Systems Librarian grinned at her colleague.

Nuria added "I also have tracked an entire collection of jinxes and charms to _schoolchild pranks_ along lines of division by, emm, residence? They refer to dwellings?"

"Houses?" Irma asked, and the Technical Services witch accepted that translation. "The children earn and lose credit points for their Residential Houses by scholarship and activities. Do these spells draw or forbid attention to the volumes based on House?"

Nuria nodded curiously, and Irma swore.

"Yes, well, that obviously must end," Arsinoë pronounced, and every single one of the six snarled in agreement. 

Denying knowledge to fellow students! For the sake of a _competition_! 

"I am not seeing very much Usage in the Scholarly Collection," Omid said in a faintly worried tone. "Agata, how about the Restricted Collection?"

She shook her flaxen head. "Not in recent times, recent being within the last eight decades. Actually, the Forbidden Collection also does not get much use at all either; just the losses we discussed."

"Accessible material is not being used as it could be. Do all these children speak only a single language? And have the classes been reduced?" Hye said anxiously. "Forget about the jinxes and hexes; there are whole sections that are languishing unused!"

"We are aware," Irma said grimly. "Steps are Being Taken as we speak." The forensic team nodded in acceptance; all a Librarian could do was to make the information available, and that was what they were doing. 

* * *

About 7:42 Greenwich Mean Time, in twenty-three extremely private book collections around Scotland, the British Isles, and Europe, gaps suddenly formed as precious books that had been there for hundreds of years ...

simply vanished, leaving behind a Notice of Fines Due.


	7. Humorlessness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The third is its slowness in taking a jest.  
Should you happen to venture on one,  
It will sigh like a thing that is deeply distressed:  
And it always looks grave at a pun.

"Well, the analysis is firm on the concept that the last eighty years' worth of rules changes have been at the direction of the Board of Governors, and about a quarter of those were contradictory because they didn't revoke the original rules."

Arsinoë had her blue scrying crystal floating in front of her as she paced the open space by the doors. Her eyes were pinned to it, but it neither bobbed nor swerved from its spot directly before them.

"I didn't find their minutes, either, let alone a school Archive."

Irma maintained her silence as she watched her mentor seek out the Alexandrian Protocol that was embedded ... _somewhere_ in the space that was present in the Library when Hogwarts accepted the Protocol in 1317. Subsequent renovations and space extensions had obscured its location and, of course, it had never been replaced by any of the newer Protocols since.

Which was also a breach of the Accord. 

"It looked ... like ... um ..."

The crystal suddenly darted seven feet to the northeast-ish and landed point-down on the floor with a chiming tone.

"Hah!" they both cheered, and Irma Checked Out the floor above the Protocol, while Arsinoë raised it to their eye level. 

She snorted the next moment as Irma let loose the screech that had building since the children had brought the Subject obscuration to her attention. Forensic Librarians popped in around them to peer at the carved slice of granite engraved with alternating lines of Cuneiform, hieroglyphs, and Greek. 

Whole segments of the Staffing and Upkeep lines had been buffed out.

Nuria zapped it with an Archaeology-grade _Tempus_, and a list of dates lined up in the air beside the Protocol, each joined by a scarlet line to a damaged line.

The earliest was a set of three in the 1530s.

The most recent was in 1909.

Hye hit it with _Damnan Creator_, and names shimmered into existence beside the dates.

Over by the Desk, the recording quill sped up so much that they could hear it over their furious breathing.

Slowly, every face turned to Irma wearing murderous smiles.

As the Head of the Team, Arsinoë asked the Enabling Queries. 

"Are you the Designated Librarian?"

"I am the Head and Sole and Responsible Librarian of this, the Library of Hogwarts," she snarled.

"Do you re-affirm the Accord of the Libraries of the Alexandrian Pact?"

"I pledge the compliance of the Library of Hogwarts to the values and rules and Protocols of the Library of Alexandria for so long as I and those trained by me shall be responsible for the Library of Hogwarts."

"Do you accept the installation of this, the most recent Protocol of the Library of Alexandria?"

"I request and accept the installation of this most recent Protocol."

Arsinoë lowered the new Protocol into the hollow in the floor, and Irma Checked In the floor above it.

Around them, the structure of the Library shuddered and shimmered, and blue sparkles began streaming toward the Team from each and every shelf and corner and floor of the Library. Peach sparkles fountained from the floor above the Protocol, crossing through the blue sparkles and through every shelf and wall and ceiling to embed themselves in every surface within the Library. 

Irma could _feel_ the Permanence Charms, the Archiving Arrays, and the Purpose Geasi embedding themselves within her Library, and could feel the Scheduling Encatori brush up against her mind. She smiled grimly. 

No more "forgetting" her upkeep procedures. 

"Hah, you'll like that one," Agata sang quietly as all of the tables and chairs were soaked in glimmers of gold. Irma lifted an eyebrow her direction.

"Automatically invokes _colloquere_ when conversation begins."

The blue sparkles formed a cylinder engraved with Cuneiform, and the last of them finished off its smooth top. Lekan opened his belt-satchel, reached out, reduced the cylinder to a small disk between his two hands, and directed it into his satchel.

"You have to love the Archiving Arrays," Nuria said in deep satisfaction. "That will cover your stipend and the stipend of the Assistant we will send you next month."

No more submitting to the "budget" of a capricious School Board of Governors. 

"Lorquil Traesenor?" Omid asked curiously.

"Either him or Basilea Gindies," Itzel agreed. "They both have their Journey scarabs and can serve at least five years."

"Do either of them have a History concentration?" Irma queried. "We have such a crying need for fact-based histories, you have no idea."

"Basilea," Itzel said firmly. "Very well, that deals with Collection Maintenance and Staffing and Furniture. Let's go deal with Residence, because girl." She turned chestnut eyes on the Librarian. "You are far and away too physically stressed, and it isn't as though there aren't charms for that."

Lekan snorted, and they all released their rage, and went jesting and laughing off to Irma's personal quarters, determined to create an Egyptian Oasis of comfort here in the Scottish pile of cold stone. 


	8. Volumen ut legitum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Books are for reading.

"What... what do you mean 'closed'?" Hermione whispered shakily. Weasley Geminae blurred in her sight, and Neville put his arms around her shoulders. 

Beside her, Harry put his hands on his hips and glared at the twins.

"Did Madame Pince use the word 'maintenance'?" he demanded. Hermione took a deep breath, and then another. Neville patted her. 

"Yes she did," Fay announced, pushing between them, and behind her Seamus reached up and thumped both boys.

"_Not_ funny!" he growled at them. "You really frightened her and you _intended_ to! Ah!" And he stuck a finger in each of their faces. 

While he berated them, Hermione turned and put her head on Neville's other shoulder, relaxing into his embrace. Trevor thrummed at her softly. 

"It's okay," Harry said. "You know libraries have to do this once in a while. Remember there was an issue with the Catalogue, right? They are probably just fixing that."

"Madame Pince said we would get the Carrel books back on Saturday, and the Library will re-open the same day so we can get work done for Monday. We'll have to re-check out the books we didn't have in the Carrel, but," Fay snorted, "I don't think there are many of those!"

"Come on," Dean puffed, arriving late to the fiasco in the entry hall. "We have the notes and assignments for the last couple of days, and all the information is in our textbooks so," and he seized Ron by the arm, dragging him and the rest of the returnees up the stairs. 

Behind them, Seamus had slipped into Gaelic, and tiny explosions were starting to go off.

Hermione grinned helplessly. 

* * *

Up in the Common Room, Trevor leapt from his shoulder and headed for the stairs, turning to fix both eyes on Neville and twang once before going on up.

"That," he smiled, "is a tired Toad."

Ron was already following Dean through their door, and Parvati was looking out at them. 

"I," she said with pride, "have _tea_."

With everyone going over the classes and the notes with them, Neville thought they caught up quite well. They each pulled an Essay Buddy for the written work - Lavender persuaded Hermione to stick to the given length for these catch-up essays on the grounds that they had been involved in government and could add that to other essays later - and then spent a few minutes on wand-work.

Ron punched the air when Neville got his charms first try.

"That's it?" Harry asked, filing away his books and parchment. "That is all the classwork?"

"Except for Potions, yes." Fay peered around the Carrel. "Wish we could get a room like this with a laboratory in it ..."

"We will just have to ask Professor Snape for some supervised brewing time," Hermione said briskly. "Harry can ask him." Harry looked at her with enormous green eyes. "Yes, just like that. Now, who wants to hear how we took over Wizarding Britain?"

Neville fixed her with a stern look. "Hermione, you must understand: I will _not_ allow you to accept a Betrothal Contract for Draco Malfoy no matter what Lucius Malfoy might offer."

** _"WHAT????"_ **


	9. Tempero omnia documenta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulate all the documents.

"She's still not up there, I don't think," Lavender said. "Neville, can you look and see if Madame Pince is at the Head Table again yet?"

Neville couldn't see her either. He looked at Hermione. 

"I don't think you should listen for her with all the noise." She took a deep breath. "It's only today and tomorrow. We'll be fine."

Neville frowned. "Actually, I can hear something odd. Not Madame Pince! Kind of a ... shimmering kind of sound? Like if you had sand made out of silver, and someone was pouring it from a great height."

Everyone looked at him, then turned thoughtful frowns on the Head Table. 

"Wonder if the Goblins are doing something else," mused Dean.

"No, I definitely saw them at the front gates with Professor McGonagall Tuesday while you four were still gone," Parvati declared. Lavender nodded. 

"They were all over the castle," she chimed in. "They were floating these metal sponges up on the walls, on the doors, on the suits of armor even! Just everywhere!"

"Including the dorms!" said Fay and Seamus together, then shook their heads at each other. "But those sponges kind of rang," Seamus added.

* * *

Up in the Library on the fifth floor in the Forbidden Collection, Irma watched Strabo settle the Archives into their new area in deep satisfaction. 

"I know you've always wanted to see that," Arsinoë smirked at her.

"Easier to allow for Librarians in a building with an actual Library," Strabo commented smugly, directing the last part of the Duplication Charm. His team looked over the results carefully, and nodded. Strabo connected the Archival Protocol to the Alexandrian Protocol on the first floor of the Library. 

He turned to Irma and smiled all over his bronze face.

"So, nobody will be able to read any of them for a hundred fifty years, but all meetings of staff will be minuted here going forward, and the same for official and unofficial student clubs with a school-related purpose. Which is pretty much everything, given that this is Hogwarts and everything relates to it. Hundred fifty years, be reminded: it is not possible to use the Archives for spying or for current legal cases. Or illegal ones either.

"The Head of the School, in conjunction with the current Board of Governors, can write an exception for the minutes of their own meetings, but that has to be done each time and signed by everyone present; the forms will show up in your files.

"But we got all the old minutes that had been taken by hand, and the records, and the other documents, duplicated here. They are attached to the Catalogue Room as of date of availability, and I have a Requisition Box for your desk."

Irma let her head drop. "_Thank_ you! Last request: is it possible to link the available Ministry Archives here?"

Strabo narrowed his eyes at her, then smiled again. 

"The available ones, yes. Mervat, would you do the honors?"

Grinning evilly, the plump dark woman in pleated linen withdrew a terra cotta disk from her satchel, attached a scarab to it briefly, then fastened the scarab to the Archival Protocol. Twenty more shelving units appeared, and then filled with a silvery chime. Mervat checked her work, and then locked down the Protocol. 

She turned to Irma with a smirk. "I do believe it is time to establish an Alumni Magazine. Don't you?"

"Oh yes," Irma agreed. "Now, I believe I promised a Hogwarts Feast to you all. Let me just open the wards, and follow me to my dining room!"


	10. Omnis legitur a volumen rectus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every reader gets the right book.

Minerva looked at the book in bewildered disbelief. 

"_Historia Scientiam Hogwartium_? History of Hogwarts Science?"

Irma smiled peacefully. "History of information in Hogwarts, actually. It covers books and scrolls, theses and dissertations, minutes and rules and regulations. It covers when the ... item, whatever it might have been, first arrived in the school and by whose hand. Where it was first stored. What impact it had on subsequent information or rules or behaviors. If and when it was hidden away or removed, and by whom and why. You'll want to use the Index. It's a lot longer than it looks."

Minerva opened the cover and began paging through it. "My word! It begins with the Founders! Why are some of the words red?"

"The Forensics team does good work, and Itzel Huamani does excellent Documentation encanting. Any red word has more information behind it. Tap one with your finger."

Minerva tapped the word "teaching" on the third page and startled when the whole page was replaced with a list of classes and teachers for the first year Hogwarts was open.

"How do I go back?"

"Tap the green word at the top."

Minerva stared at the page blankly for a moment, then scrabbled for the Index.

Her own name showed up, both under M for McGonagall and under R for Ross.

"Tap the entry?"

"Indeed," the Librarian answered, but Minerva had already tapped the entry that read "Scholarship After Graduation," and there was the list of all of her published works. All of them, including the ones for _Ath-dhealbhadh na h-Alba gach mìos_. She tapped on "Cùisean Aifreann Is Cuideam" in the July 1964 issue, and a small gold-edged box appeared over it with a location in the Library, with a list of other articles and a few books under that. 

"That is the list of works that cited your article. It updates itself, the whole book does. This is the copy for the Head of the School's office. I have one at my desk, one in the Scholar's Collection, and one in the Reference shelves. And some for circulation."

Minerva lifted her eyes to the Librarian, who looked truly relaxed for the first time in Minerva's memory.

"Does ... does this contain all the books in the Library?" she asked nervously. 

"No, of course not. It contains information _about_ all the books in the Library. And the journals and the dissertations, and also the minutes and the textbooks for all of the classes, and so forth. And all of the authors. And why - why everything. As I said, Itzel does excellent work. I have been needing this. Oh! Look up Gilderoy Lockhart!"

Minerva read through the biography and bibliography of the popular author, and smiled grimly. Irma nodded.

"Yes. Excellent for checking up on resumés and other claims."

"And this one is for the Headmaster's office?"

"Yes." She waved her hand languidly. "Any Head of House may have one for their own office, and of course the other teachers may use the Library copies. Consider it the Report.

"I will announce tomorrow's re-opening of the Library at dinner tonight. The Forensics Team and the Archival Team went back this morning, but I find it useful to stay with the announced schedule."

"I agree," Minerva replied absently, thumbing through the Table of Contents. Truly an interesting book, even if it was completely inappropriate for reading straight through. She spared a moment's alarm for the thought of this book in Miss Granger's hands, but was distracted by the list of donations to the Library from the year 992. 

"We have this book in the Collection?" she gasped.

"In the Scholar's Collection, to be precise. And yes, you and the rest of the adults are welcome to use it." Irma smiled beatifically at her. "We have the largest collection of works on magic and on the magical world outside Alexandria. Not even the Forbidden City has anything like this although," she frowned, "I have some catching up to do. Some of my book budget has reappeared, and I plan to make good use of it."

"Anything that will distress the Board of Governors?" Minerva asked with interest. 

"It is none of their business," Irma declared firmly. "The budget doesn't come from them and the Library has nothing to do with them. They are allowed to request the addition of specific titles, and they are allowed to donate volumes. They get no other input: that would be contrary to the Alexandrian Protocols.

"That said," she smiled evilly, "I imagine some of them might be distressed. Yes. I imagine that volume in your hands might distress a few, in fact."

Minerva smiled back at her. 

* * *

!rribrr had successfully communicated his wishes to Nnehbell, and found himself placed in a well-appointed clear cave that could be sealed, with a Wixen breeze in it and grass and flowing water and minnows and such, on a fairly high ledge in the Cavern of Venoms and Poisons.

He couldn't smell or taste or feel anything in the cavern, but then that was the point, wasn't it? He could see everything in the cavern, could hear everything, and that had to be enough.

The pundit for this region was surly and bitter, and !rribrr thought he might bite if provoked. That said, the children respected him and were diligent in their work, which consisted of stirring various plant and animal parts, liquids and rocks and powders together. Over fire. For incomprehensible Wixen purposes. 

That wasn't fair. All of the lessons were for incomprehensible Wixen purposes, and all of the adults found them to be necessary; all a Toad could do was to watch. If he couldn't understand the lessons themselves, he could at least watch the Wixen in the cavern. And anything else that might come in.

It was a good thing Toads were patient. 

* * *

_To Doctor Emma Granger and Doctor Dan Granger, greetings from Madame Augusta Longbottom, Regent of House Longbottom. _

_It was my pleasure recently to be introduced to your daughter, Miss Hermione Granger. She was personable, lovely, and upstanding: altogether a young person whom I find more than acceptable as companion to my grandson Neville. _

_I wish to extend directly to you our invitation to join us for several days over the Christmas holiday, as was discussed informally at my meeting with Miss Granger. It would give both myself and Neville pleasure to host you three. Neville's godbrother Harry Potter shall be joining us for the entire holiday, so the young people will be able to enjoy themselves away from us older folk as desired._

_Understanding that Healers are not always in control of their own time, I am writing early in the hopes that you may be able to wrest some irrevocable time for yourselves. If this is agreeable to you and possible, please inform me as to what dates you would be able to join us here._

_I will send Gilbert back to convey your response in seven days' time in the hopes that this will be sufficient. _

_Respectfully, _

_Augusta Longbottom _

_Dowager Regent of Longbottom_

"Dan! We need to get our own owl!"

"Do you think it would work for us to wear our lab coats to Diagon Alley to go shopping, or should we trot in and get some robes first?"

"We should get some robes regardless. We've been invited to a Manor for Christmas! You agree about the owl then?"

Dan Granger, DDS, blinked at his life's companion. 

"We do already have the roost ..."

* * *


	11. Custodio omnia documenta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guard all the documents.

_Dear Mother and Father,_

_We are all well here at Hogwarts. No one has been in the Infirmary since my last letter, and none of us have lost points or received detentions. _

_How are you and Ginny doing? I hope that the gnomes have been slow and that the Ghoul has been as quiet as it can be. The thing I worry most about, this time of year, is the apple harvest. I know Mother's charms for that are more than adequate, but I feel that it should be at least a two-person endeavor for safety's sake, and I know that Father has had more than enough to deal with as the changes at the Ministry work their way through the various departments. _

_Ronald underwent a thorough debriefing with us all on the occurrences in the Wizengamot to which he was witness, and has enclosed his own letter to you with this one._

_The day following his return to school I was summoned to the Headmistress' office to meet with the Senior Combat Archivist who had led the team at the Ministry. He wished to recruit me to staff the new Archives of the Wizengamot and Ministry! _

_Not immediately, of course. What Master Mithradames proposed was that I should begin becoming acquainted with the open Archives here at Hogwarts, both of the school and of the duplicated open Archives of the Wizengamot and Ministry, and perhaps next year and my seventh year work as an intern in the Library here, followed by an apprenticeship at the Ministry and Wizengamot. If all were to go well, I would then be called on to be one of the permanent Archivists. _

_This is a breathtaking opportunity and I do not understand why it is being offered to me._

_I shall, of course, accept each level of involvement to the extent that they continue to invite me, but I am desperately eager to discuss the situation with you at the Christmas Holidays. _

_<strike>If I understand correctly, the Archives will be their own department answerable directly to the Wizengamot</strike>._

_I continue to work hard on my studies and to perform my Prefect duties to the best of my ability. It is ever my ambition to <strike>exceed</strike> live up to the examples made by William and Charles._

_I remain _

_Your devoted son,_

_Percival_

* * *

Nearly forty first-years of all four Houses clustered together, wide-eyed and muttering to each other, as Madame Pince swung herself from behind her desk and approached them with an open smile on her thin dusky face. They fell utterly silent. 

"Welcome back to the Library," she greeted them at a normal volume.

Certain jaws dropped.

"The maintenance has been successful, and so I have a few new things to present to you. The first is this: the new Protocol allows anyone to speak at a desired volume without disturbing anyone not a direct participant in the conversation."

The children muttered to each other, translating her words into their own understanding. 

"The second item can be found by the Desk." She continued speaking over her shoulder as she led them there.

"We now have lists of Reserved and Recommended books and articles for each class, for each year of that class. You may consult the specific Index on this shelf, and check out a copy of specific books or articles from these shelves. Please note that the shelves contain the Master Copies, and that the copy you check out is only in existence through the end of the year."

She smiled and nodded at Harry Potter, who had a hand up.

"If these are the Master Copies, does that mean the originals are somewhere else?"

"Yes indeed, Mr Potter. The originals are all in the Scholar's Collection, located on a separate floor for the use of Apprentices and other adults. Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Are they reserved for the specific years? Could I check out a third-year text in History, for example?"

"You may certainly each check out any of these books, as that will not deny them to anyone.

"We will also be collecting Immediate Interest works on the shelves over here; so that if, for example, someone reports a flock of wild Abraxans migrating, we will pull Master Copies of information on that topic for you to read as desired."

She peered at them over her spectacles. 

"I do count on you to inform me of Immediate Interests as they come up.

"Now: please follow me to the Catalogue Room. I believe you will enjoy the updates there."

* * *

_To Senior Account Manager Tietalon_

_Greetings from_

_Lucius Abraxas Malfoy,_   
_Lord of the Noble and Senior House of Malfoy_

_Clarity resulting from my undergoing the Goblin Protocol has given me to understand that there is an item in my close possession which I desire to have nowhere near my family or home. _

_I am unsure whether to give it into the keeping of the Goblin Nation for your Cursebreaking Department to handle; or into the keeping of the Ministry for the review of either the Department of Mysteries or even the Department of Magical Law Enforcement._

_Your advice would be gratefully welcomed. I can provide either a description with provenance, or the opportunity to examine it in a place of your choosing, or, naturally, both._

_I shall make myself immediately available at any time of your convenience until December 3rd, 1991; or at any mutually convenient time after that date._

_Given by my hand this 7th day of November in the year 1991 of the Common Era_

_Lucius Abraxas Malfoy _


	12. Prudery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fourth is its fondness for bathing-machines,  
Which it constantly carries about,  
And believes that they add to the beauty of scenes—  
A sentiment open to doubt.

Albus might have greeted the Board of Governors with serene cheer but ... well, but Albus was now proven to be three groats short of a haggis. Minerva, temporarily (and usually Deputy) Headmistress, was none so sanguine and was expecting changes she could not predict. 

But never let it be said that the Head of Gryffindor lacked the courage to face any number of Sassenachs. She led her entire complement of instructors, including Trelawney (but not the exorcised Binns), into the meeting room and arranged them across from the Board.

The House Elves had organized a cream tea, which she had to admit lowered the tension a fair amount. 

(She still took a moment to cast the appropriate Grooming Charms, as did several others; no need to endure a mess through a moment's clumsiness!)

"I don't believe that we have been joined by the entire educational staff before," Lucius Bloody Malfoy greeted them pleasantly. "Will you do the honors, Headmistress McGonagall?"

So she did, including everyone's various scholastic honors and duties, and also the various honors and duties of the Governors as well, since most of the staff had never met them. There were unexpectedly agreeable smiles all around. 

"Recent Events," intoned Augusta at that point, "have demonstrated the failures of the Board in our duties of oversight, and we intend to begin correcting that at this meeting. I would like to begin by informing you all of a new employment requirement."

She and the Malfoy exchanged glances, and she continued, "From this point forward, no employee of Hogwarts may also be employed outside of Hogwarts. No one may also hold, for example, a political position" - oh INdeed! - "or own a business or otherwise owe a significant amount of time to any outside endeavor."

Madeleine Everbright leaned forward and added, in earnest tones, "Now this is not meant to include membership or leadership in your professional organizations! Those we regard as a portion of your professional development and not a distraction from your duties!"

"Fact, we've written that into the new contracts," added Fortinus Broadworth. He scooted forward, his heavy face attempting to be reassuring. "We took a hard look at the kind of school we want our children to attend, and what was needful for that. We took another hard look at the financial books too. So: changes." He sat back with a stern nod, folding his arms. 

The Malfoy looked at Broadworth briefly, and elaborated, "That is to say, monies for organizational dues, travel expenses, conference fees and so forth have now been placed into the budget. One of the things we will require from you is an accounting of the times at which such conferences and other meetings are scheduled, together with their location for the upcoming year. We would like for everyone to be able to attend their meetings and conferences, the only hindrance being time conflicts."

Minerva felt very like she had been placed in a full-body bind. No one had been able to afford membership in their organizations, let alone any attendance, for the last twenty-odd years!

She narrowed her eyes at the lot of them.

"What sort of requirements go along with this, then?"

"We ... would expect that you would bring the benefits back to Hogwarts, of course," Augusta said slowly. "Write articles for publishing, improve the educational procedures, and so forth."

"We barely have the time to cover our current duties," Minerva began, but Elayne Greengrass interrupted, beaming. 

"Which is why we have budgeted for a doubling of the staff! And, of course, pay rises for everyone currently on staff - longevity and also merit rises. This is long overdue!"

"And now that we know what the Vault numbers are, we can do it," Andrew Devinish no doubt thought he muttered to Diana Boff.

With a flicker of a glance in their direction, Augusta added, "The Board has become aware of certain additional Vaults that had been designated for the upkeep and personnel of the School. We have confirmed with Gringotts that two such Vaults shall continue to be invested, while the others have been opened for the benefit of the School." She leaned forward and pretended to whisper to Rolanda, "New. Brooms."

The undignified and entirely unintentional sound Rolanda uttered marked the descent of the meeting into a mad cheerful chaos.

* * *

Terry-the-wizard plopped himself down between Ron and Seamus, flattening a roll of parchment on the table and uttering "Now what exactly is this then?"

Seamus looked at it and grinned while Ron was making his way through it muttering "issue a challenge ... can beat or at least engage for twenty ... WHAT?"

Dean beamed, saying "My idea, but most of us pitched in on the prizes!"

Neville seized the flyer and read it aloud. Really, Lavender had done an excellent job of it.

"We _the members of Gryffindor Tower_, in an attempt to divert our resident **Chess Master** from his ongoing assaults on our time and self-confidence, issue a challenge to the **_Studious_**, the **_Clever_**, and the **_Persistent_**: whomever can beat or at least engage for twenty minutes in Wizarding Chess the _Juggernaut known as Ronald Weasle_y shall have a choice of prize from among the following: 

  * 10 Chocolate Frogs
  * 5 Sugar Quills
  * A portrait _in colored pencils_ of themselves or a friend of their choice by Dean Thomas
  * An hour's tutoring from Hermione Granger or Neville Longbottom in the first-year subject or, respectively, the Muggle or Pureblood topic of their choice 
  * An hour's tutoring from Percy Weasley in any subject from Second to Fourth year
  * A grooming session by the team of Brown and Patil (good for those visits to Hogsmeade!)
  * A potion designed for their specific needs from Gred and Forge Weasley
  * An hour's Quidditch tutorial from Oliver Wood

Please sign up below for specific times, all to occur in the **Second Group Study Room** in the Library, which has been reserved for this purpose, with our gratitude to Madame Pince and her able associate Madame Gindies."

All of the Firsties and a surprising number of the upper-years around them smiled at Ron with every tooth in their heads.

"Oh come on!" said Juggernaut exclaimed. "It's not that bad! You guys just need practice!"

"Uh huh," Hermione responded dubiously. "You need to engage in at least an hour and a half of chess every day, and we can not keep up. Second year cannot keep up. Third year is _hiding_, Ronald! You have brought this on yourself."

Terry-the-wizard was cracking up, and the Hufflepuffs behind them were laughing out loud. One of them leaned over. 

"That's legitimate, then? Just win a game or at least not get beat for twenty minutes, and we get our choice of prizes?"

"Yes indeed," Lavender shot back. "All prizes volunteered, and we already acquired the Sugar Quills and Chocolate Frogs. Assuming you can go the distance."

Ron was looking at the flyer again. 

"Including snakes?"

And while everyone else was assuring him that some of the best Chess players came out of Slytherin, blessed Harry Potter said curiously, "I had no idea snakes could play chess. Or were allowed at school."

As all eyes swiveled to him to remind him of the House mascots, he finished sunnily, "I could translate, I guess, if nobody else speaks snake."

Silence seized them all and spread behind a whisper across the hall.

"Do you ... speak snake, then, Harry?" Hermione asked cautiously. 

"Oh yes, I found out about it at the zoo this summer," he answered brightly. "Very interesting people, snakes."

* * *

Cary had said something that attracted the attention of the entire Cavern, and !rribrr went on high alert.

The odors in the Eating Cavern had improved drastically since the wixen adder and the ancient wix had left, but _better_ was not the same as _safe_. 

!rribrr pumped up his throat just in case.

The children seemed to be trying to calm each other, by the soundings he could hear, and Pabadi was very stern at the frightened ones.

The elder who had taken his children away came down, apparently to scout the situation, and then called another one to consult: the bitter Venom-Master. He went to the far trunk and sounded at the children there, one of whom left at speed.

Meanwhile the female elder - M!ona!l, evidently - sounded gravely at the children, who settled down, still cautious but less alarmed.

The _boy_ from the far trunk returned swiftly, with a Snake coiled around his arm. The Snake questioned what was happening, and !rribrr answered soothingly.

And then Cary spoke to the Snake in her own language.

Suddenly very excited, the Snake replied at length. 

!rribrr settled, a trifle disgruntled, back onto his personal pond. It would be nice if Nnehbell could speak Toad.

As Cary and the Snake conversed, the child spoke to the boy from time to time - ah. Translating. The Snake turned and spoke directly to her boy for a time, pausing to allow Cary to translate, and he gaped his face in pleasure and surprise. 

The boy sounded gratitude at Cary, and reached across the trunk to take Cary's hand in greeting as they sometimes did.

He then spoke a question to the children around them and, slowly, several of them sounded at Cary, who hissed at the Snake, waited for her reply, and then sounded back at the children. 

They started gaping their faces in pleasure, and the entire cavern calmed right down.

Very nice. !rribrr went and crawled up Nnehbell's arm, and leaned against its neck. He still liked his own child best.

It would just be nice if...


	13. Adparo omnia documenta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Provide all the documents.

**FROM HOGWARTS TO HOME**

_ **The Alumni News** _

**Issue #1 **

**November 1981**

* * *

_Reorganization Of Hogwarts Faculty And Staff_  
By Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress

Parents of current students were recently asked for permission for their children to be checked for any bindings, spells, charms, jinxes or curses, and for those to be removed. Any medically or magically necessary spells could be re-applied with a separate permission.

The results of these checks led to the checking of the physical structure of Hogwarts, and then of the staff and faculty.

As a result, multiple spells and runes were removed. Not all of us were able to recover immediately. I regret to inform you that Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore has been taken to Saint Mungo's Hospital, where the Healers are cautiously optimistic for his eventual recovery. 

Quirinus Quirrel has also been hospitalized, possibly permanently. 

The Board of Governors have persuaded me to take up the mantle of Headmistress in addition to retaining my place as Professor of Transfiguration, and have offered the position of Deputy Headmaster to Filius Flitwick, to go with his continuance as Professor of Charms.

Rolanda Hooch has taken responsibility for Gryffindor House in addition to her responsibilities for Flight and Quidditch, and Bathsheda Babbling has assumed the Headship of Ravenclaw to go with Ancient Runes.

The Wizengamot has directed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to provide three Aurors to share the responsibility for Defense Against The Dark Arts for the remainder of this year. We will be undertaking a diligent search for a permanent Professor over the course of the year. The Board of Governors has instructed me to extend that search beyond the borders of the Brythonic Islands in order to find the very best candidates.

I will keep you informed on this and other changes to Hogwarts' educational situation. 

* * *

_The Learning Never Stops_  
By Irma Pince, Head Librarian

With the recent improvements in the Wards and Protocols of our beloved School, the Library of Hogwarts is proud to offer once again a benefit that had always been intended: ongoing access to the larger collection to graduates and to visiting scholars. 

The collection contains titles on topics from household maintenance to manor architecture; from agriculture to business; from history to grooming to travel, and many many more. The collection dates from 991 and has added titles in every aspect of the Magical and Wizarding world since then.

Please owl at least one day ahead, so that the Floo address can be provided to you and the fireplace opened. We are beginning slowly but look forward to having the community at large once more among our shelves.

* * *

_Out Of Print Books Available Again_  
by Basilea Gindies, Associate Librarian

Ever need a book you know exists but that no bookseller or bookstore has or can get for you? Help is at hand! You now have two new options for obtaining your book!

Hogwarts Library can make a permanent copy of any title in its Scholar's Collection so long as that title is not currently available for sale through a publisher.

For a base cost of Ğ1 for up to 100 pages, and an additional Ķ7 for each additional 20 pages, Hogwarts can create the copy from its own resources. 

Or, if you provide your own binding and parchment, Hogwarts can create a copy of any size for Ğ2.

Both of these options include the permanent enchantments original to the title. 

Send inquiries today to begin filling out your collection tomorrow! 

* * *

On Page 2!

Student Rankings as of the Christmas Holidays - Filius Flitwick 

School-wide Chess Club Instituted - Percy Weasley 

New Enforcement of Old Rules: What may and may not be brought to school - Argus Filch

Parseltongue: The Speech of the Indian Naga Healers - Parvati Patil

On Page 3!

School Sketches and Fine Photographs


	14. Ambition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... which the Poet found sufficient without further description.

Neville glancing up at the Head Table warned them, and by the time Madame Hooch arrived they were all staring at her.

She smiled. "No one is in trouble. Currently."

Giggles and chuckles greeted this, and she turned to Hermione. 

"The Headmistress requests that Miss Granger and Mr Longbottom join her for tea this evening at 7pm. I and Madame Pince will also be present, together with a few other people. Cakes will be served, so make your dinner choices judiciously."

Which also made them laugh, but Neville said in his grave fashion, "Thank you for the invitation, Madame Hooch. Shall we make our own way to the office, or will you be escorting us?"

"I shall await you in the Common Room at 6:45 to walk with you."

"I guess we know what that's about," declared Lavender, once she had left. 

"In general," agreed Parvati. "Still the demons are in the details." She cast a critical look over both of them. 

"Right," Seamus said, "full armor for the both of ye."

* * *

The Headmistress' office was round and vast and stretched at least three stories up, with a circular staircase to one side leading to doors that, if they opened, must lead to wixenspace rooms, and windows all around and portraits of stern-looking older people all gazing intently at them, and an actual phoenix on a golden perch between the fireplace and a window of, Neville would place a wager, owl glass. 

Beside him, Hermione's heart was racing and she smelled of excitement and wariness. 

In the middle of a partial circle of chairs and sofas and benches near the fireplace stood a group of people, not all of whom were part of Hogwarts. Not all of whom were human. 

Professor McGonagall strode towards them, her narrow face and her scent both welcoming.

"Please come and be introduced. You will remember our Heads of Houses, of course, and Madame Pince. This is Basilea Gindies, our new Assistant Librarian and resident Historian; Oakbiter of the Barruchi Clan, one of the team of cursebreakers that recently worked on clearing the School; and Tamsyn Wildacre from the Muggle Relations Department."

Neville bowed and, half a beat behind him, so did Hermione. 

"Gentlecreatures, please meet Hermione Granger, first-year student in Gryffindor House and Guide, and Neville Longbottom, also a first-year student in Gryffindor House and Sentinel. Miss Granger has been introducing us all to the concept of Sentinels and Guides, which knowledge we seem to have lost over the years." 

The various adults all nodded deeply at them, and Madame Hooch escorted them to a short sofa at the center of the circle where they could all look at them. 

Neville clutched Hermione's hand and she clutched back. 

"We are here," uttered Madame Wildacre, "because a Notice went off in the Muggle Relations Department for a scheduled annual meeting with the Sentinel-Guide Centre of Great Britain. Inquiry with the new Archives informed us that we have not received this Notice for eighty-seven years, and that there was a collection of correspondence that had been building up from that Centre."

Beside him, Hermione was horrified. He quite understood, but held his silence. 

"A request went to the recent Team handling the curses here and at the Ministry," Master Oakbiter continued, "and an examination of the Reports showed a Disregard runeset in the Owleries of both locations. At the request of the Wizengamot, I was sent to the various Owl Post Stations throughout the Brythonic Islands and confirmed that the runeset was installed at each Post Station as well. These runesets all dated to the years 1896-1898 of the Common Era. Further analysis by the Office of Cursebreaking pointed to a student or graduate of the Durmstrang Institute, trained sometime between 1875 and 1887."

Beside him, Hermione gasped softly and looked at Madame Gindies. The large witch nodded. 

"Yes, those were years of great disruption in Europe and, indeed, in the world at large. I reached out to the various European Ministries and found that all of them had begun to lose sight of their Sentinels around that time." She sat back in her overstuffed chair with an air of disapproval. "We could certainly have used the help over the next fifty or so years."

Hermione turned expectantly to Madame Wildacre. 

"The Ministry have issued a Writ of Sanctioned Information, and have requested that you, Miss Granger, ask your instructor to act as intermediary between the British Wizarding World and the Sentinel-Guide Centre, as we have _no one_ with the knowledge to do so, and Madame Longbottom informed us of your connexions to that group." Hermione nodded in understanding, but continued to listen. 

"We ask that you write a letter of introduction, that I and Professor McGonagall would then take to him to explain the situation. Should all go well, we would bring him here, as a somewhat neutral location, to help us plan how to proceed."

Hermione looked at Professor McGonagall for permission, and then spoke directly to the Ministry witch.

"If you are going to inform Guide Sense-i Roger Tallek about the Wizarding World, then you will also be informing Sentinel Sense-i Winston Marbrecht at the same time, as he always listens in on his Guide as is his nature, his right, and his duty. You might as well get a Writ for him too before you go." She grinned slightly. "A privacy charm will only result in his invading your meeting, possibly violently. And an Obliviation on either or both of them will result in an investigation and a Sanctioned Hunt-" Neville could hear the capitals! "-resulting in a full-scale invasion of Diagon Alley and the Ministry, which I think we can agree would be bad."

One of the portraits burst in, "That is absolutely correct and in fact _precisely_ what happened in seventeen-ought-one as I saw with my _own_ eyes, and I-tell-you-now, if the Ministry has been ignoring those Sentinels for that long you can wager your _boots_ that they have plans to do just that! Let me alone, Dexter, you didn't see it."

"You were only ten, Dilys, how much can you remember ..."

"It was a shock to the system and no mistake, my word! If I had known, I would have said something _years_ ago!"

All of the Wixen had gone pale, and Master Oakbiter was not looking too happy himself. 

"War with Sentinels," he muttered, apparently to himself, "oh that would not be good for business!"

* * *

Minerva decided that it was past time for the tea and cakes she had promised, and signaled for them. The elves fussed about with table and trays and a separate pot each for humans and Goblin, and by the time she had poured and everyone had fixed their cups to their own liking and had selected their favorite treats, some color had returned to the adults' faces.

Miss Granger seemed not so much _unconcerned_ as she did _vindicated_. And the shy ... or perhaps only quiet Mr Longbottom just kept a calm eye on everyone.

He cast an unobtrusive neatness charm on the two of them, and they had their tea and cakes without mishaps as they waited. That new wand seemed to have been just the ticket. And he, or perhaps they, had been studying ahead: Filius taught that one in March, normally. Minerva saw that he had caught it as well.

Miss Granger placed her plate back on the table, took a last sip of her tea, and sat back. 

"I think," she said contemplatively, "that you should ask my parents for help. Go and see them first, and have them bring Sense-i and his Sentinel to meet you at their house."

Mr Longbottom nodded, cast a quick look at Madame Wildacre, and said "Maybe Professor McGonagall and Madame Hooch could make an appointment to see them and ask? Miss Hermione could send a letter ahead? It would take a little while. When is the annual meeting?"

"Saturday December 14th, apparently," Tamsyn answered, somewhat grimly. "That gives us about four weeks."

Miss Granger was already nodding. "If you all agree, I will send an owl tonight and we could get things under weigh this week. My parents take Wednesdays and Sundays off, and work Saturdays..."

Minerva glanced at Rolanda, who offered, "Quidditch this Saturday, but we could go Wednesday I think."

"I'd be happy to be available for your Lions that evening," Filius added, and agreement was made.

* * *

_Dear Mum and Dad, _

_Exciting things are happening here, and the Wizarding World is calling on you! _

_Literally, this Wednesday evening if you are free, after dinner. Headmistress McGonagall and Madame Hooch would like to visit to ask you for the kind of favour that I can't put in a letter. A hint, though: if you agree, we'll ask you to invite Sense-i and his Sentinel for a meeting. High-level stuff._

_Things are clearing up here very nicely. A month out from under those awful and conflicting runic arrays, and I will swear to you that actual upper-year Slytherins accidentally smiled at Harry in the halls!_

_Even Peeves has dropped a lot of maliciousness and now is a whole lot more funny. And, oh, you will not believe! Remember me telling you about Professor Binns? _

_He has actually resigned, effective the end of the year! _

_As Professor McGonagall had given us the syllabi for all the classes, we have been doing the original reading for the class just like the Defense class, but any living teacher is bound to offer an entirely different syllabus, anyway I can hope!_

_One of the boys in my year, Dean Thomas, is a sketch artist, and drew the enclosed picture of me for you to have. My roommates have been helping me out with my hair. _

_I love you both! Please write back and tell me if the Professors can come visit, and if not Wednesday evening then when. Hedwig will stay for your response. _

_Love,_

_Hermione_

* * *

"Emma? Are we free this Wednesday?"


	15. Omne volumen legitur rectus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every book gets the right reader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember: any resemblance to a real person, alive or passed on, is unintentional and coincidental.

"I have never," Emma declared, "in my _entire_ life served as much tea to visitors as I have this month!" Battenberg cake, baked fresh that morning at the excellent sentinel-quality bakery on Hampstead High Street, sat wrapped on the counter waiting to be cut while she spread the savory cream cheese on thin slices of bread, for which Dan was diligently slicing a cucumber. 

He was snickering, the blackguard. 

"It's not funny!"

"Oh, it is, darling! The Grangers of Meadway are the ambassadors between the Wixen World and Sentinel Society, and here we are doing our best to host two alien cultures!"

Emma tried to frown at him, but her lips kept twitching. 

"At least none of our guests tonight are vegetarian." He snorted in amused agreement. 

Little more than an hour later, in a vintage tea-dress lent by Dan's mother, Emma welcomed her daughter's Sense-i, his Sentinel, and London's Beta Sentinel and Guide into her home and ensured they were comfortable, just a strategic few moments before Madame Tamsyn Wildacre and Professor Rolanda Hooch rang their bell.

With both sets of visitors forewarned, introductions were reasonably simple and Emma was able to pour while Dan passed around the three-layered tea-tray Emma's mum had gifted them on their second anniversary. 

Madame Wildacre had only taken a sip before she set down her cup in an entirely governmental embarrassment. 

"I am so sorry," she ... yes, she actually _twittered_, waving her hands and the entire thing. "We only just cleared up the communication issue on our end a few weeks ago, and I shudder to imagine what you might have been thinking of us this entire time!"

Arvin Spencer leaned forward, sense of comfort at full blast.

"Oh my dear, you must not distress yourself so. We understand _completely_."

Ghislaine, Marchionness of Ailsa and his Sentinel and wife, sat back a little. "We investigated our own records, and found a series of letters reading 'As we currently have no Sentinels nor Guides among our people, we decline the invitation.' I have brought along a few examples from various periods for your examination." She waved a delicate hand at Mr Spencer, who produced a small bound folio and extended it across the table to a precisely-calibrated midpoint between the witches. Madame Hooch collected it, and after a glance at the Grangers for permission, brought out her wand for a few mutters and passes. She handed it on to Madame Wildacre, her lips crooked in unhappiness. 

"That is the same signature that Oakbiter of the Barruchi clan showed to us. It dates from the late eighteen-hundreds and from the northern Germanic principalities."

Tucking the folio into her tiny embroidered bag, Madame Wildacre nodded in continuing dismay. "The Ministry has assigned people to an ICW investigative team to learn more. As those Wixen do their job, let me do mine. Would you please inform me of how we might send an appropriate representative to your meeting, and the kinds of information that person should bring along?"

Emma poured more tea. It looked like the Marchionness appreciated it; gold-standard approval, that.

"I brought just the thing," the lady smiled, gesturing again to her husband. 

Mr Spencer reached across the table, proffering a small burgundy paperback book. Tamsyn frowned in concentration at the gold-lettered title.

"_The Black Protocols: Requirements and Courtesies of the Sentinel and Guide Concordance_."

She looked at the Marchionness in even deeper dismay, to Emma's puzzlement. 

"I assure you, my Lady, we will study these and," she swallowed, "be ready on your word."

Emma flicked a glance at Daniel. _Well. That was interesting. _

* * *

The whistle sounded, high and wild and sweet, as the Express pulled out of Hogsmeade Station past the smooth hills of snow that ended neatly at the edge of the gravel at the tracks.

Hermione pulled her eyes away from the turrets of the castle to a spike of fear from Trevor and Neville, and a group exclamation of dismay, to find Trevor-the-toad's new habitat floating in front of Dean, who had gone dark and hunched. 

"I lost my grip! I'm sorry!"

Looking deeply unimpressed, Trevor turned toward Neville and deliberately leapt at the shimmering surface of the modified Bubble-head charm Professor Flitwick had demonstrated for them and helped them anchor. As promised, the habitat slid through the air without Trevor coming out of it. Neville caught the globe with a smile for his familiar, and Trevor pushed against the air membrane with both front feet. After a couple of seconds he fell through, also as promised, and landed expertly on Neville's arm, swiftly climbing to his preferred place on the boy's shoulder. 

Neville pushed the habitat about a foot above his head, muttering _gyroplacus_ with a spiral and stab of his wand.

Seamus whooped when it stuck into place in what Hermione called to herself _caput-synchronous_ position, ready to be pulled down and used when wanted. 

"Now, that's a project worth doing!" Ronald said with an air of satisfaction. They had all worked on designing the travelling habitat when the members of the Toad Choir had confirmed that they all used pet baskets to transport their amphibians. A pet basket simply _would not do_ for Trevor.

The transfigurations had been worth 15 points from Professor McGonagall, while a fourth-year called Irving Cram had worked out the arithmancy for them under Parvati's fascinated gaze for 10 points for himself. That had given them the correct runes to use, which the Head Girl herself had etched for them on a series of pebbles. 

Really, extra credit across all the Houses, what with the biome being designed by one of the 5th-year Slytherins, and implanted by her and Neville working together. 

Ron and Harry had done the research on toadish living requirements, while Fay and Lavender had scouted the best sites for the permanent portkeys - yes! And there came a dazed minnow from the shallows of the Black Lake! It stabilized itself after a moment and began swimming in its much smaller pond, unknowingly awaiting a fate as Toad Snack.

The Headmistress had graciously created the portkeys, which had had to operate through the wards and also have both a minimum and maximum mass requirement. She had also placed a distance limiter on them of 100 miles, which meant no new insects or fish in about an hour.

"Seamus," Hermione called across the quiet hubbub, "have you got your pebbles still?" She held out her hands with the five pebbles she was carrying. 

Seamus dug into the pocket of his bookbag to show his, then dumped them back and re-sealed the pocket. "Sure 'n I do, and not losing them through any," he glared at his dorm-mates, "_holes_ that might _spontaneously_," he spat direly, "appear in me trouser pockets!" Dean and Ronald fell about laughing, while Neville snickered and Harry grinned. 

A story there, to be sure. 

"Speaking of," he continued austerely, "I shall now go an' check on the remainder of our little pride. I'm still not sure what's the matter with Fay, and I want to sit with her a while."

"I'll come with," Dean responded, hopping up. He dug a handful of pebbles out of his trousers, waved them at Hermione, and followed Seamus out of the compartment. She watched them go, then turned to Neville. 

"Wizarding seams," he pronounced, "do not give way under stress. We discovered that Muggle seams do one day when what Seamus had in his pockets was nothing he wanted to show off, poor wretch." And all three boys chortled again. 

Hermione laughed at them, leaned against Neville, and pulled out her denatured copy of _Wizarding Transport of Living Beings, With Tables And Calculations, 7th ed_. Madame Gindies had assured her that, even if not as up to date as the 11th edition in terms of kinds of beings in the tables, it was perfectly valid and should work well for her foundational understanding. 

She had already been curious about the impact of portkeys, hearing the twins laugh about the pratfalls of new users, and the dizziness of the, now five, minnows in the habitat had her concerned. 

By the time Winter Break was over, the lot of them should have distributed miniature portkeys into clean, resource-rich spots the length and breadth of the Brythonic Islands. Anywhere Neville might want to travel, Trevor should be able safely to go with him. 

* * *

Travel in the ground-swimming hollows was much more comfortable this time. Having his own see-through flying hollow was both alarming and a treat: even knowing he couldn't accidentally fall out of it, he still preferred his tad's arm-strut. !rribrr asked to be put in his hollow several times when he was a little hungry, or was getting too dry, but spent most of the ride with Nnehbell. He had mastered the Wixen _Up_! although _Down_! was still hard and usually came out as _D!N! _

Departing the larger hollows sparked some trouble, though: Nehhbell's flight clustered together, and Bayy simply reeked of distress.

Adults came; Nnebell's dam embraced it, and tasted of kindness and protectiveness. !rribrr remembered and watched. She embraced Cary, and !rribrr remembered and watched. She took the hands of Rrmyni and spoke fervently to it, and !rribrr watched and allowed a little of his high alert to ease. Just a little; Bayy was growing more distressed. 

A skulk of Wixen came and embraced Rron, and the adults spoke kindly to !rribrr's flight. One kit of the skulk was skittish indeed, cowering behind its dam and smelling of anger and embarrassment. The dam brought it out to speak to Cary, who lifted its outer skins to show off its arm; still not the size it should be even now. !rribrr was well aware of his flight's ongoing efforts to keep Cary fed. The kit slumped, twisted its face and smelled of loss, but bowed its head at Cary. 

Very strange. Wixen. 

A pair of willowy adults came and embraced Rrmyni, and stayed with the group. A stumpy witch with a red face embraced Cayma, and stayed. A pair of twilight Wixen came and embraced Pabadi and its littermate, and stayed.

One for Deen, two for Pabendr, and they all stayed. 

None for Bayy. 

Bayy was more and more distressed. 

Finally, two shepherd-wixen came prowling toward them, and !rribrr sounded an alert. All of the Wixen turned to face them, Bayy surrounded by the children and the adults overlapping between the children and the shepherds. They sounded gently but firmly, and Bayy started sounding the lost-child alert, the same sound for every young mammal and so similar for birds.

The adults were deeply unimpressed by whatever the shepherds were saying, and Nnehbell's dam and the vixen both embraced Bayy and growled at the shepherds. Rrmyni's parents set themselves for defense, and the rest of the adults barked in agreement. 

Then came a tad from the trunk beside his flight's, towing its pale-furred Witch along, and the conversation changed. Light glinted off the ice-round she had on one eye, and the shepherds shrank before her ... ah. She was their alpha bitch. She barked demands at them, and they gave her bark-sheets and reports.

She turned and spoke seriously to the adults, and then seriously to Bayy. Cayma's dam, Rron's, and Nnehbell's all spoke gently to her.

Nnehbell's dam twisted her face up and barked at all the adults. Bayy bent its head, its face gone swollen and red. Cayma's dam bent her head, Rron's dam turned her head side-to-side and then bent it, and the shepherds looked longingly at their alpha bitch. She bent her arms across her chest and twisted her eye-fur across her face. 

One shepherd came and joined Nnebell's dam. The other accepted instructions and left. The alpha bitch spoke to the group and, reluctantly, most of them went over to a wall and walked through it. 

!rribrr had to keep watch, or he would have stared. 

The alpha bitch, her remaining shepherd, and the rest of !rribrr's group headed for the orher wall, and the vast fire-pit carved into it.

Oh eagles. !rribrr remembered this. "Up," he said to Nnehbell, who put him in his hollow and attached it to its head. 

One and two at a time, they went into the green fire and were twisted away. 

**Author's Note:**

> The [Five Laws of Libraries](https://www.librarianshipstudies.com/2017/09/five-laws-of-library-science.html?m=1) as given by S. R. Ranganathan in 1931:  
volumen ut legitum [books are for reading]
> 
> omnis legitur a volumen rectus [every reader gets the right book]
> 
> omne volumen legitur rectus  
[Every book gets the right reader]
> 
> ne impediant legitur  
[Do not impede the reader]
> 
> Bibliotheca organismus adcrescens  
[A library is a growing organism]
> 
> The Five Laws of Archives, as understood by myself.
> 
> Capio omnia documenta  
[Take all the documents]
> 
> Tempero omnia documenta  
[Regulate ...]
> 
> Præservo omnia documenta  
[Preserve ...]
> 
> Custodio omnia documenta  
[Guard ...]
> 
> Adparo omnia documenta  
[Provide ...]
> 
> The Five Unmistakable Marks of the genuine Snark.
> 
> 1\. Tastelessness  
2\. Sloth  
3\. Humorlessness  
4\. Prudery  
5\. Ambition. 
> 
> Latin used rather than English, Greek, or Egyptian Hieratic on account of you wind up with fewer words. I worked with the Translator over and over to get the words I wanted, but anyone who knows how to conjugate in Latin is urged to correct my phrases.


End file.
